Poker Hall of Fame Submissions Still Open

A unique opportunity is currently open to poker enthusiasts around the world. Everyone is welcome to nominate a person in the poker world for possible induction into the Poker Hall of Fame.

There are currently 54 people who have been honored with spots in the Poker Hall of Fame, which was founded by Binion’s Horseshoe in Las Vegas and now carried on by Caesars Entertainment in association with the World Series of Poker. And every person in the world can have a voice in the addition of nominees for the 2018 voting process, out of which one or two – possibly three – names will be chosen for induction into the elite Hall of Fame.

Voting time is limited, however. It officially closes on June 30. Last year, the 10 finalists were announced on July 9, and the two inductees were chosen in the days that followed. The announcement of Phil Ivey and David Ulliott as the honorees came on July 20, with the ceremony following on July 21 surrounding the broadcast of the WSOP Main Event final table. This is likely close to the timetable of this year’s announcements as well.

Nomination Requirements and Considerations

This is the point when it becomes necessary to remind people not to waste their votes on their mom or dad, unless, of course, your dad is David Chiu or Mori Eskandani. This is serious business, and there are requirements for a player to be considered.

The criteria that must be met are listed as follows:

–Must have played poker against acknowledged top competition.

–Must have played for high stakes.

–Must be a minimum of 40 years old at the time of nomination.

–Must have played consistently well, gaining the respect of their peers.

–Must have stood the test of time.

For non-players who are nominated, the requirement is:

–Must have contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker with indelible positive and lasting results.

When voting closes, the submissions will be tabulated, and the 10 nominees with the most votes will be revealed to the public. The Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council, which includes all living Hall of Fame members and a pre-selected media panel, will then vote to elect one or two of those nominees for induction this year. Once those people are chosen, the WSOP will announce their names.

The official induction ceremony will take place in coordination with the final table of the WSOP Main Event in summer, and details will be announced closer to that time.

Likely Nominees

There is a pattern to the names nominated by the public. Most of it is based on popularity, and most of the nominees are American. That’s a story for another day.

In 2017, there were eight people on the final voting list who were not inducted. Some of those names are likely to reappear this year, though it remains to be seen if they garner enough public votes to make it into the top 10:

–David Chiu

–Mori Eskandani

–Ted Forrest

–Thor Hansen

–Mike Matusow

–Max Pescatori

–Matt Savage

–Huck Seed

Of those, Pescatori and Savage were in the top 10 in 2016 as well. And Chiu, Forrest, Hansen, Matusow, and Seed had been nominated in past years.

Other names that have been up for discussion of late include Chris Moneymaker, David Sklansky, John Hennigan, David Oppenheim, Steve Lipscomb, Bruno Fitoussi, JC Tran, Terry Rogers, Marcel Luske, Betty Carey, Alice Ivers, Padraig Parkinson, and Humberto Brenes.

The non-players have a more difficult time garnering public support, as they are not nearly as well-known as the players and don’t have high name recognition. Savage may be the exception to that rule, but Lipscomb and Eskandani are not household names despite their significant contributions to the game.

Thank you for article but I’d add three things. I started as a chip runner, couple personal reasons why this year would be most special, and wish my schedule allowed me to play more poker but my wife would kill me. Not sure how I like my chances to be in HOF posthumously though. https://t.co/JIe2ydRRBR

Some have name recognition but not the poker accomplishments that would likely garner enough votes from the council. Moneymaker had the big WSOP Main Event win, and many believe that event spurred the poker boom, but he has not had the level of success as a Seed, Forrest, or Chiu. Others like Hansen, Luske, and Brenes should be viewed for their overall contributions to poker, such as their ambassadorship and promotion of it, beyond their on-the-felt achievements. The general public, however, is not typically aware of that part of poker history.

Time to more fully diversify the coloring box of the HoF. If David Chiu was a white dude he'd already be in. @pokernews@wsop

The nominees should be known and made public not long after voting closes on June 30.

Hall of Fame History

The Poker Hall of Fame was the brainchild of Benny Binion and established in 1979. There was a live memorial to the inductees, complete with photos and signage, at Binion’s Horseshoe in Downtown Las Vegas. However, when Caesars Entertainment (then Harrah’s) bought the World Series of Poker in 2004, the Hall of Fame changed hands.

Currently, there are no plans for a new physical Hall of Fame for fans to visit or in which memorabilia can be housed and displayed.

There are currently 54 members of the Hall of Fame, in order of the years they were inducted:

2017: Phil Ivey

2017: David Ulliott

2016: Todd Brunson

2016: Carlos Mortensen

2015: Jennifer Harman

2015: John Juanda

2014: Daniel Negreanu

2014: Jack McClelland

2013: Scotty Nguyen

2013: Tom McEvoy

2012: Eric Drache

2012: Sailor Roberts

2011: Linda Johnson

2011: Barry Greenstein

2010: Erik Seidel

2010: Dan Harrington

2009: Mike Sexton

2008: Henry Orenstein

2008: Dewey Tomko

2007: Barbara Enright

2007: Phil Hellmuth

2006: Billy Baxter

2006: TJ Cloutier

2005: Jack Binion

2005: Crandell Addington

2004: Berry Johnston

2003: Bobby Baldwin

2002: Johnny Chan

2002: Lyle Berman

2001: Stu Ungar

1997: Roger Moore

1996: Julius Popwell

1993: Jack Keller

1992: Amarillo Slim Preston

1991: Chip Reese

1990: Benny Binion

1989: Fred Ferris

1988: Doyle Brunson

1988: Jack Strauss

1987: Puggy Pearson

1986: Henry Green

1985: Red Hodges

1984: Murph Harrold

1983: Joe Bernstein

1982: Tom Abdo

1981: Bill Boyd

1980: T. Forbes

1979: Nick Dandalos

1979: Wild Bill Hickok

1979: Edmond Hoyle

1979: Felton McCorquodale

1979: Johnny Moss

1979: Red Winn

1979: Sid Wyman

About Jennifer Newell

Jennifer began writing about poker while working at the World Poker Tour in the mid-2000s. Since then, her freelance writing career has taken her from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back to her hometown of St. Louis, where she now lives with her two dogs. She continues to follow the poker world as she also launches a new subscription box company and finishes her first novel. Jennifer has written for numerous publications including PokerStars.com and has followed the US poker and gaming market closely for the last 15 years. Follow Jen on Twitter

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